An integrated system for large scale cell culture.

The potential of tissue culture as a means of production of various viruses for use in vaccines, or various biomolecules such as the interferons, interleukins, various enzymes and growth factors, has been steadily increasing over the last few years. If the full potential for the production of these products is to be realized, significant technological advances in the area of large scale cell culture are required. Most cells producing the above mentioned molecules and products grow only when attached to a surface. Therefore, the ability to harness cell culture as a tool for large scale production of products is dependent on the availability of large surface areas that are biocompatible with cell attachment and growth and are presented in such a form that proper nutrient solutions are continually being offered to the cells. This presentation will describe a closed loop circumfusion system with an available surface area scaleble to 72 m2. This system is integrated with a computer based controller providing programmable monitoring, control, and documentation of the culture. The system has been extensively tested in both in-house and field trials. This testing has shown the system to be compatible with the typical production environment rigors while highlighting the economic potentials of production using this unique system.